PROFESSOR: Dr. Edward L. Crisp
OFFICE: 3310A
PHONE: 424-8327
email: Ed.Crisp@mail.wvu.edu
homepage: http://www.wvup.edu/ecrisp/crisphomepage.htm
course page:
http://www.wvup.edu/ecrisp/geology103page.html
OFFICE HOURS: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. T R; 2:30-3:30 p.m. M W; 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. F; and by appointment.
REQUIRED TEXT: Wicander, Reed and Monroe, James. S.; 2010; HISTORICAL GEOLOGY EVOLUTION OF EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME (6th ed.): Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, California; 444 p.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Historical Geology is concerned with
the study of the origin of Earth and its evolutionary development through
time. Historical geology deals with both the physical evolution of
our planet and the evolution of life on Earth. One of the purposes
of historical geology is to place the events of Earths history into the
proper chronological order.
The concepts of time, organic evolution, and plate tectonics are fundamental themes used to unravel Earth history. In this context, Earth's paleoenvironments are reconstructed into a workable Earth history. Other topics that will be covered are interpretation of geologic maps; correlation of rock units; sedimentary environments; the taxonomy, morphology, and evolution of fossil organism groups; paleoecology; paleogeography; and paleoclimatology.
The practical application of concepts and methods in historical geology will also be studied, particularly in reference to mineral resources from Earth. Where possible, local geology (supplemented with field trips) will be integrated into the course.
Geology 103 at West Virginia University-Parkersburg
is an introductory historical geology course designed to prepare students
for further study in geology (those considering majoring in geology), as
well as provide an introductory background in Earth history for students
majoring in other fields.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
GEOLOGY 103. HISTORICAL GEOLOGY
3 HRS.
An introduction to the study of the origin of the Earth and its evolutionary
development through time. The concepts of time, organic
evolution and plate tectonics are fundamental themes used to unravel Earth
history. In this context, present and past interactions of Earth's
subsystems (the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere) are
studied.. (3 lecture hours per week.) (Prerequisite: GEOL 101 and
102 or PSCI 112.) (Co-requisite: GEOL 104) S
CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT:
It is your responsibility as a student to review the CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT statement that appears in the WVUP Student Handbook. Your conduct in this course should follow the guidelines set forth in the Code of Student Conduct statement.
Any conduct which disrupts the normal flow of classroom activity will not be tolerated. As such this includes consistently coming to class late, engaging in conversation with fellow students while the instructor is lecturing, belligerent or disruptive activity directed towards others in the classroom, or any other activity that would reasonably be considered to disrupt classroom activities. Turn off all cell phones (even vibrate) prior to entering the classroom, keep cell phones put away, and do not answer a cell phone in the classroom (even if you forget to turn it off and it rings or vibrates). If you have to leave the classroom (to go to the bathroom or for any other reason) please leave and return to the classroom quietly, however you should only leave the classroom if absolutely necessary (I will discuss this activity with you if it becomes routine). The Code of Student Conduct also prohibits all forms of dishonesty including, cheating, plagiarism, forgery, or knowingly furnishing false statements to college officials.
SOCIAL JUSTICE STATEMENT:
West Virginia University at Parkersburg is committed to social justice. I concur with that commitment and expect to maintain a positive learning environment based upon open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. Our University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color or national origin. Any suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment in this class will be appreciated and given serious consideration.
DISABILITY STATEMENT:
If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise me and make appropriate arrangements with the Office of Disability Services (424-8378)
CAMPUS SAFETY
Upon activation of the building fire alarm, all building occupants must exit to a position of a minimum of 100 ft. safely away from the building. If you will require assistance during an emergency evacuation, please contact the instructor so that arrangements can be made in advance. All students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the locations of emergency exits. Information concerning emergency exits is posted by or in each classroom. Students and instructors should also be familiar with the Color Code System and the Emergency Call buttons (College Paging System) that are located in each room on the main campus. Information regarding the system and instructions for each individual emergency can be found in the Safety Plan, accessible only on campus through the college website or by contacting faculty, staff, or administration. Questions regarding safety can be directed to the safety committee through the campus website at http://www.wvup.edu/safety/.
LEARNING CENTER SERVICES
The Learning Center is located in room 0404 and services are offererd to students free of charge, Monday through Friday. Peer tutoring is open for scheduled and group sessions as well as unscheduled drop-in sessions. Students can visit the Learning Center's website for more information at http://www.wvup.edu/Learning_Center/.
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW FROM THIS COURSE FOR SPRING 2009
The last day to withdraw from this course is April 3. If you remain registered for the course after that date you will receive a letter grade of A, B, C, D, F, FIW, or in some cases I.
SPECIAL SUPPLIES:
Calculator (preferrably a scientific calculator, these are now relatively inexpensive)
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To increase the ability of the student to think critically.
2. To learn and practice the scientific method of investigation
of a problem or idea.
3. To appreciate and practice experimentation and observation
and their importance in scientific investigations.
4. To learn how to collect accurate scientific data and
the importance of accurate data collecting techniques.
5. To study the origin of Earth and its evolution (both
physically and biologically) through
time.
6. To understand past Earth processes and rates of change
and how the same processes and the same or different rates of change may affect the future.
7. To understand and appreciate how a knowledge of Earth
history can be used to locate Earth resources and more fully understand and
prepare for (and perhaps prevent) geologic hazards and environmental problems.
TOPICS TO BE STUDIED AND HOW COURSE OBJECTIVES WILL BE MET:
Course objectives will be met by lecture material designed to stress
development of critical thinking skills and practice of scientific methodology.
Topics covered in the course will include the following: history of geology,
relative and absolute dating, radiometric dating techniques, sedimentary
depositional environments, paleoenvironmental analysis, plate tectonics,
biologic evolution, correlation of rock units, paleoecology, paleogeography,
paleoclimatology, history and evolution of the universe and solar system, and Earth history stressing
physical and biologic evolution.
SPECIAL PROJECTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE COURSE:
1. Geologic field trips to study local geology.
2. Field trips to museums or other points of geologic interest (one of these
may be a trip to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
in Pittsburgh - this trip will probably be on a Saturday and although it will be
for
additional bonus points, attending this field trip is highly encouraged).
There wil1 also be a Saturday field trip to the Maysville, Kentucky area to study
and collect Ordovician fossils. The Maysville, Kentucky field trip is a
required field trip - so make plans to participate in this field trip.
Transportation will be provided. I will give you the date of this field
trip early in the semester, so if you normally work on Saturday please make
arrangements with your employer early to attend this field trip.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Attendance to all classes is highly recommended.
If you must miss a class, notify the instructor as soon as possible (preferably
before you miss) at 424-8327 (if no answer, leave a message).
If you do miss a class it is your responsibility to cover the material,
find out about class announcements, etc. Material that is covered
in lecture is not always readily obtained by just reading the text.
A record of attendance will be maintained and, because of the nature of
the course, excessive absences may result in a lower grade.
ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED FOR ALL TESTS! Preparing make-up
material for tests is very time consuming for the instructor.
Make-up will be allowed for valid excuses, such as severe illness, death
in the family, or excused university sponsored events. The student
must make arrangements with the instructor before missing or immediately
upon returning to class to arrange for a make-up exam, otherwise the grade
for the missed exam will be recorded as a zero. PLEASE DO NOT
TAKE THIS POLICY LIGHTLY.
TESTING: There will be three major one hour lecture exams (in addition to the final exam) during the semester. The final exam will be partially comprehensive. In addition to the major exams, there will be numerous short quizzes (at least once a week, sometimes more often) to test reading of the text and comprehension of lecture material (in some instances homework assignments may be given instead of short quizzes, a homework assignment will count the same as a short quiz). If there are more than 10 short quizzes, only the 10 with the highest scores will count for your grade. Following is a breakdown of the basis for the final course grade:
BASIS FOR FINAL COURSE GRADE:
Three major exams during the semester (20% each, 200 Pts. each)..............60%...........600
Points
Short quizzes (and homework assignments)......................
......................10%...........100
Points
Maysville, Kentucky Field
Trip.....................................................................5%.............50
Points
Final
Exam..................................................................................................25%...........250
Points
Total........................................................................................
..............100%.........1000
Points
GRADING SCALE: PERCENTILE RANGE COURSE GRADE
greater than 90%.................................A
80 through 89%..................................B
70 through 79%..................................C
60 through 69%..................................D
less than 60%......................................F
GEOLOGY 103
HISTORICAL GEOLOGY
TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDER: SPRING 2010
Jan. 11 Intro. to course; Introduction to Earth
History................................Ch.1
Earth as a Dynamic Planet (Earth Systems, Sci. Methodology, Rocks,
etc.)..Ch.1
Review of Earth Materials (Rocks and Minerals).......
..............Ch.
2
Review of Earth Materials (Rocks and Minerals).......
..........Ch.
2
Plate Tectonics (Seismology and Structure of Earth).....................................Ch.3
Plate Tectonics (Cont. Drift, Sea Floor Spreading, Plate Boundaries,
etc.......Ch.3
Plate Tectonics (Crustal Structures, Faults, Folds, Mt. Building, etc.).............Ch.3
Geologic Time (History of Geology, Uniformitarianism, Relative Dating).........Ch.4
Geologic Time (Absolute Geologic Time, Radioactivity)
.................Ch.4
Geologic Time (Radiometric Dating).............
............................Ch.4
Feb. 10 EXAM 1 (CHAPTERS 1, 2, 3, and 4)
Rocks, Fossils, and Time (Fossil Preservation, Classification).....
..........Ch.5
Rocks, Fossils, and Time (Organic Evolution, Biostratigraphy, Correlation)...Ch.5
Rocks, Fossils, and Time (Paleoecology, Paleogeography, Paleoclimates).....Ch.5
Rocks, Fossils, and Time (Correlation, Formations, Fossil zones)..................Ch.5
Origin and Interp. of Sed. Rocks (Sediment, Sed. Rocks, Sed. Structures)....Ch.6
Origin and Interp. of Sed. Rocks (Depositional Environments)...........
.........Ch.6
Origin and Interp. of Sed. Rocks (Textural Parameters, Facies,
etc.).............Ch.6
Evolution (Lamarck, Darwin, Natural Selection)............................................Ch.7
Evolution ( Mendel and Genetics, Modern Synthesis, Speciation, etc.)...........Ch.7
Evolution (Divergence, Convergence, Cladistics, etc.)....................................Ch.7
Mar. 10 EXAM 2 (CHAPTERS 5, 6, and 7)
Mar. 15 - 21 SPRING BREAK
Precambrian-The Archean Eon (Shields,
Cratons, Rocks).............................Ch.8
Precambrian-The Archean Eon (Origin of Life, Archean Fossils).....................Ch.8
The Proterozoic Eon (Crustal Evolution, Supercontinents, Atmosphere,
etc)....Ch.9
Precambrian-The Prote. Eon ( Rocks, Fossils, Eucaryotes, etc.).....................Ch.9
Early Paleozoic Earth History- (Paleogeography, Plate Tect.) .........................Ch.10
Late Paleozoic Earth History
(Paleogeography, Plate Tect., Stratigraphy)........Ch.11
Late Paleozoic Earth History (Orogenic Belts, Mt. Building,
etc.)....................Ch.11
Life of the Paleozoic (Shelled Invertebrates, Cambrian Explosion of
Life, etc.).Ch.12
Life of the Paleozoic (Evolutionary Trends, Permian Extinction Event)..............Ch.12
Life of the Paleozoic (Vertebrate evolution, fish, amphibians)...........................Ch.13
Life of the Paleozoic (Reptiles, Plants, etc.).....................................................Ch.13
Apr. 7 EXAM 3 (CHAPTERS 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13)
The Mesozoic Era (Pangea, Cont. Drift, Paleogeogeography, etc.)...................Ch.14
Life of the Mesozoic (Plants, Marine Invertebrates, Reptiles, Dinosaurs,
etc.)...Ch.15
Life of the Mesozoic (Pterosaurs, Marine Reptiles, Birds, Mammals,
etc.)........Ch.15
Cenozoic Geologic History: Tertiary Period (Plate Tectonics, Paleoclimates)....Ch.16
Cenozoic Geologic History: Quaternary Period (The Pleistocene Ice Age,
etc)..Ch.17
Life of the Cenozoic Era (Plants, Invertebrates, Birds, Mammals, etc.)..............Ch.18
Evolution of the Primates and Humans (Primates, Early Anthropoids,
etc.)........Ch.19
Evolution of the Primates..(Early Homonids, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon
Man).Ch.19
FINAL EXAM Friday May 7 - 3:30-5:30 p.m. (Chapters 14 through
19 and comprehensive portion)
NOTE: THE INSTRUCTOR, DIVISION, OR UNIVERSITY MAY MODIFY ANY OF THE ABOVE IN ORDER TO BETTER SERVE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT, AND THE UNIVERSITY!